The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1887-05-18

o wise Young Year, with your hands held under
Your mantle Of ermine, toll me, prsyl
Ella Wheeler Wilcox In Boston Globe.
R~EPORTORIAL DARING.
In 1879 I was the mining correspondent
Of The San Francisco Evening Post, and,
In the spring of that year, I was ordered
by my chief to report the condition Of b
Grand Prize mine 81. Tuscarora, . iourish-
ing mining camp IN the northwestern part
OF the state Of Nevada. My letter Of In
struction informed me that although the
Grand Prize was regularly paying dtvt-
~dends, there was something crooked about
1t, and that the bottom facts must DO got
at. 1t also informed me that the mine
had been closed to outsiders, and that, at
whatever risk or cost, / was expected to
gain an entrance and to exploit the situa-
ton.
Upon my arrival at TuscarorA I found
that a boom Of more than ordinary interest
had been initiated. All along tho lead of
the Grand Prize mine after mine had been
located, and the stock Of each was eagerly
bought. None Of the prospects" had
been opened sufficiently to determine their
values, and altogether the excitement had
q wildcat suggestiveness about II. Yet
the cabins Of 1ocasors and miners uprose
like fabrics Of frost, and the breaking Of
the windlass and the click Of the telegraph
were speculative hymns.
All my efforts to gain admission to tho
Grand Prize mine were unsuccessful. On
the second evening after my arrival ! met
a miner whom I had known well in am
other section Of the country. I went with
him to his cabin and passed the rcnaindef
Of the evening with him. He was working
in the Grand Prize in the night shift which
went on at midnight.
"Working wet In the $50 foot level, "he
said, as he donned o rubber suit, complete
from hat to boots, and glanced ct the
clock, the hands of which marked 11:S0.
Here was my opportunity. My friend
was o happy go lucky fellow, and did not
stand upon ceremony when coin was in
sight.
"BiIl,' I said, t'there is o cool 800 for
you II you will let mo put on that rubber
suit OF yours and let me take your place
tonight" ag,y,
"IIn do it, old man." he replied, after .
moments hesitation; srbut you can bet
that I'll skip the camp in the morning, and
II you care for the color Of your hide
you'll do SO too"
slipped on the full suit which he hand
cd me and hurried to the Grand Prize. In
my borrowed outfit and In the semi-dark-
ness of the hoisting works i had no diff
Guilty in passing the foreman and de-
Bcending the shaft with the other men Of
the shift. I knew how to handle a pick or
shovel, and did my turn without being de-
tected- In the morning l wired my paper
as follows:
ffuv1xn Inc5 - A. 1---l n~1-~ rulS-l
has been running east n west, turned Mt
the $50 feet level and Is now tending no. tn
and south. The mines lying east and
west are worthless and buyers Of shares
are being swindled. When this Is known
the collapse will be a disastrous one.
Managers Of Grand Prize are foremost In
the deal, and locations by the score are
being made on the quiet by those in the
pool both to the north aud south. Full
report by mail"
/ had given the camp q terrible black
eye and completely foiled the plans Of the
knavish manipulators. Many Of them
would be heavy losers and not a few pc
cuniarily ruined by the expose when It be-
came known.
Well aware that my life would not be
worth o nickel when 1t was known that I
had capped the game, and, Ehaving no faith
In the trustworthiness Of tho telegraph
operator as to keeping the sending Of my
dispatch a secret, was away by 10 o'clock
in the forenoon. My friend Bill had pre-
eighty miles without stopping save to eat
and to change my horse once, and arrived
at Battles Mountain, my place OF destina-
ton, some time after midnight.
The following afternoon as I entered the
barroom Of my hotel 1 was hailed by Ex-
pert Charley, q man killer aud bully Of
Tuscarora. He had just arrived from
there, and by the look Of his eyes I knew
b o b telegraph operator had betrayed
me. / had carelessly left my rsvolvers In
my room and stood, with my bare hands
to defend me, before a b~loodthirsty des-
perado, who, without doubt, had been
sent to kill me.
"You liar and covArdr" he Kissed
through his clenched teeth and advanced
threateningly toward me.
To strike him for his insulting words or
to rctaliate il he struck me, was but to
give him an excuse for shooting me down
In my tracks. It was q time for nerve
and bluff. Quietly folding my arms be-
hind me, and facing my man erectly and
defiantly, I said:
"You know that I do not fight with
my fistsi If you wish anything else pull
and commence"
1t was an act Of pure bravado, but II
gave me time, and my words were scarcely
uttered when a revolver was pressed into
my hand by some friend among the group
Of miners that had gathered around.
Quick as a thought, and before my enemy
could reach back for his weapon, I had
covered him with the one 90 OPPORTUNITY
given me. 1 had the drop on him sure,
and, with a muttered curse, he turned
and left the place.
I was safe for a time, but I felt that the
hunt for the game had not ended, and, as
! did not wish to kill or to be killed, that
night I boarded unobserved an outgoing
train for San Francisco. To meet some
business engagement I stopped over at
Reno. The hotel and the railway station
there are connected, and trains stop
twenty minutes for meals. The train fol.
lowing the one on which I had Just ar
rived brought in Expert Charley. He was
hunting for me, and, ascertaininR that /
was in the hotel, signifed his intention Of
remaining over. I was In the private Of
flee Of the proprietor of the hotel and over
heard the harsh tones Of my would-be
murderer without being seen by him. I
quietly stepped out Of the office by o rear
door, and, gaining the street, succeeded In
boarding the w~estbound train just as it
got well under way.
l chuckled all the way to Sacramento
over the cleverness with which I had eluded
my Nemesis, and complacently argued that
the gentleman from Tuscarora Would not
leave his stamping ground to follow me
further. From Sacramento I made q run
ming trip to the Black Hill vineyards, and
upon my return was not a little annoyed
70 find upon the hotel register the name of
Expert Charley. How he kept 30 well in
formed Of my movements I never knew.
Neither did Inquire nor stop to meet him,
but took the next boat to San Francisco.
Mypursuer was there before me, having
taken the quicker route by rail. Seeking
my rooms at San Francisco, upon my ar
rival there I found q proclamation, signed
by Expert Charley, informing me, with q
flourish Of oaths, that he would kill me
upon sight, and that If necessary he would
wait until the hottest sort Of q place
should freeze over in order to i'll me full
OF lead. He also referred to the fact that
! had s'done him up and several friends Of
his'p," and offered to gamble that after
we had mel my reportorial nose would
never get me into trouble again except in
hell.